The present invention generally relates to the installation of cabinets and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to specially designed apparatus, and associated methods, for installing wall-mounted cabinets such as, for example, kitchen cabinets.
Wall mounted cabinets, such as kitchen cabinets, are typically manufactured in modules which may be secured together in a side-by-side relationship and anchored to a wall, normally above floor-mounted base cabinets. As is well known in the construction industry, the installation of wall-mounted kitchen cabinets is typically a surprisingly difficult and awkward task often requiring at least two people to support, align and secure the elevated cabinet modules to one another and to the wall.
In the past, various structures have been proposed to make this cabinet installation task easier, less time-consuming and more accurate from the standpoint of properly aligning the cabinet modules with one another and leveling the resulting cabinet module assembly with respect to both the wall and the floor. For example, various telescoping jack devices have been proposed to lift the cabinet modules one at a time to their installation levels on the wall. While this technique permits a single installer to lift a module to its installation height and hold the module at such height, the typical jack device tends to be rather tippy, and can result in the module, when secured to the wall, being tilted vertically and/or horizontally if the jack device is not plumb when the module is secured to the wall.
Other types of previously proposed jack devices are operative to underlie a central portion of a previously constructed modular cabinet assembly (in which several cabinet modules have previously been secured to one another) and lift the assembly to its installation height on a wall. Unfortunately, the use of this previously proposed jack assembly often results in the lifted cabinet module assembly xe2x80x9cdroopingxe2x80x9d at its opposite ends when lifted to its installation height, thereby making it difficult to install the lifted assembly in the desired horizontally level orientation. Also, this type of jack device does not provide for easy prevention of undesirable vertical (i.e., front-to-rear) tilting of the lifted assembly.
A somewhat easier previously proposed method of installing a modular cabinet assembly in an elevated position on a wall is to first nail a horizontally oriented wooden stud on the wall and then support the cabinet modules on the stud before leveling them, intersecuring them, and anchoring the resulting modular assembly to the wall. This construction method unfortunately requires at least two workman to support the modules on the top side of the stud while the rest of the installation procedure is being carried out. Additionally, such method does not easily provide for front side alignment of the modules with one another, and leaves visible holes in the wall (from nails temporarily securing the stud to the wall) when the stud is subsequently removed.
As can readily be seen from the foregoing, a need exists for improved apparatus and methods for installing wall-mounted modular cabinet assemblies. It is to this need that the present invention is primarily directed.
In carrying out principles of the present invention, in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, specially designed lifting and leveling apparatus is provided for use in installing a cabinet structure on an elevated area of a wall. The apparatus includes an elongated support structure upon a top side surface portion of which the cabinet structure may be rested; first and second base structures positionable in a horizontally spaced relationship beneath the elevated wall area and having upper portions operative to hold longitudinally spaced apart portions of it the elongated support structure in a manner positioning the support structure parallel to the wall and in a horizontal orientation; and height adjustment structures associated with the upper portions of the first and second base structures for vertical movement relative thereto and being operative, when the support structure is held by the upper portions of the first and second base structures, to (1) raise and lower the support structure, (2) tilt the support structure top side surface portion about a horizontal axis transverse to the wall, and (3) tilt the support structure top side surface portion about a horizontal axis parallel to the wall.
Preferably, the elongated support structure is defined by a pair of elongated wooden studs, and the base structures include generally inverted L-shaped frames with vertically orientable side portions and top end portions extending perpendicularly to the side portion, the top end portion having a top side upon which spaced pairs of receiving members, representatively generally U-shaped cradle structures, are supported for vertical movement relative thereto. Each cradle structure is adapted to downwardly receive a longitudinal portion of one of the support studs, thereby positioning the two studs in a horizontally offset, parallel relationship in which the studs extend parallel to the wall. The height adjustment structures, representatively elongated threaded members carried by the frame top end portions, are rotatable to selectively raise or lower an associated one of the cradle structures and thus the stud portion received thereby.
Alternatively, the receiving structures are spaced pairs of fixed projections extending upwardly from the top frame end portions and between which the longitudinal stud portions are receivable. The height adjustment structures in this alternate version of the lifting and leveling apparatus are elongated threaded members carried by the top frame end portions and rotatable relative thereto to enter variable vertical distances between the fixed projection pairs and thus engage and adjustably raise or lower the stud portions received between the fixed projection pairs.
According to other structural features of the invention, the lower ends of the vertically orientable frame side portions are provided with threaded height adjustment members to selectively elevate the frames above the floor. Preferably the vertical frame portions are securable to the wall below the cabinet installation area, and may be provided with outwardly projecting stabilizing feet structure.
In carrying out an installation method of the invention, in a preferred embodiment thereof, a plurality of cabinet modules are rested on top of the horizontally oriented studs, appropriately aligned with one another, and then intersecured to form a cabinet assembly. The height adjustment apparatus is then used to adjust the heights of the support studs in a manner leveling the cabinet assembly about first and second horizontal axes respectively transverse and parallel to the wall to thereby level the supported cabinet assembly in a side-to-side manner, and also xe2x80x9cplumbxe2x80x9d the cabinet assembly in a front-to-back manner. Additionally, the height adjustment apparatus may also be used to simply raise or lower the cabinet assembly.
The leveled and plumbed cabinet assembly is then simply secured in an appropriate manner to the adjacent wall area, and the lifting and leveling apparatus is removed from beneath the now installed modular cabinet assembly.